ViewRay will continue to maintain its MRI-guided radiation therapy systems at customer sites, but filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and is planning to sell the business’ assets.

Device financing during 2019’s final quarter totaled $1.6bn, a substantial decrease from Q3’s $4.05bn. Merger and acquisition activity, almost doubled from the previous quarter reaching $6.1bn; Stryker’s 4.7bn takeover of Wright Medical was the only billion-dollar transaction. Financings by diagnostics/research players totaled $1.3bn (the lowest quarter of the year) and eight companies were acquired, five of which together were valued at $981m.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Dealmaking column is a survey of recent health care transactions listed by relevant industry segment – In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals – and then categorized by type – Acquisition, Alliance, or Financing. This month’s column covers deals announced in October 2017.

August was another slow month for announcements of medical device approvals outside the US, but the short list of non-US approvals this month includes a broad range of device-types approved, notably a much-awaited expanded indication for Medtronic’s CoreValve Evolut R, in six different territories.